Talk about a week folks! Last week found some days approaching 60 degrees in my area, which is Southern Wisconson. I had some great days in the field. Seeing Common Loons on small area lakes during a stopover on their migration northward. And that was a good thing indeed, as the Northern half of my state as well as bordering states got hit with a late Winter storm over the weekend. Many places receiving a couple feet, we've gotten my guess of 4-6 inches in our area. So besides the Loon picture this week, I got some pics of some of the Lighthouses in our area getting buffeted by 15-foot waves. That was just what I experienced.
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Just heard some interesting news this week! Number one, for those of you that have used the NIK Collection, which a few months back Google said they would stop development of. The good news is DXO software has brought them! Here's the statement: DxO Now Owns Nik Software The Second, Macphum software which makes a great set of tools for photo editing for Mac and PC is rebranding themselves. Their new name will be "Skylum" Statement: Macphun is becoming SKYLUM The great folks at MacPhun Software have released the new version of there awesome their Editing software Aurora HDR! This software was co-developed with award-winning HDR Photographer Trey Ratcliff. This software is available for both Mac and PC and can work as a stand-alone application as well as a plugin to Lightroom or Photoshop. Some very cool news today! Affinity Software, makers of Affinity Photo and Design for the Mac. Have announced an Ipad version! A headline on their site, "Engineered for iOS, reimagined for touch." I'm looking forward to downloading this today on my IPad Pro and putting it through its paces! Check out their Website for more info: AFFINITY PHOTO Professional photo editing for iPad
And note, special introduction price going on down has it priced at $19.99! Hope you are all getting out enjoying some of these better spring days! Some interesting items I saw this week included editing software I've been playing with quite a bit, Luminar by MacPhun software. You may want to check it out. This is their latest press release: Best Imaging Software of 2017
Luminar has won dozens of awards since it's launch only five months ago, but what's more important: it has won the hearts of people who love photography. Whether you shoot for fun or photography is your full-time business; whether you want basic tools or need more extensive editing power, Luminar has it all. Other big news would be the release of Sony's new Flagship A9 Full Frame Mirrorless camera. Here's a great review https://www.cnet.com/products/sony-a9/preview/ Till Next Time Happy Clicking Lance Well as I mentioned last we talked. Today we're going to talk about Scene mode, White Balance, and Auto Bracketing.
1. Scene mode: This setting on your camera includes many settings for specific subjects. Portrait mode instructs the camera to use a short exposure but switches off the flash, or for example; in foliage mode the color saturation is amped up and sets a small aperture. 2. White balance: Choosing Auto White Balance lets the DSLR define how white areas will appear in specific lighting conditions, and corrects the other colors accordingly. But you should alway consider setting White Balance manually when shooting in mixed light conditions. 3. Autobracketing: When you're unsure what exposure will work best, employ the auto bracketing function to fire off serval quick shots at varying exposures with a single shutter press. Next time, Live view mode, Burst mode and Color-quality settings. Till then, Happy Clicking. Lance Hello, in our fourth part of this series we're going to continue discussing your DSLR's options. I know many equate this much like a computer. They feel you much learn everything at once! As a person who taught himself computers, please don't think of it that way. You learn the basics and then add to your knowledge as you go along. Remember learning is a lifetime endeavor. So here we go. Auto exposure modes. Your DSLR's fully automated setting is called program. In this setting, the camera's computer picks the aperture and exposure duration for you. More experienced shooters might select intelligent Auto or Auto ISO modes to control their image sensors light sensitivity ( low ISO such as 100-400 work well in bright conditions; high ISOs are best in dim ones). Note There is the adage the higher the ISO, the more noise your image will contain. That said the cameras are coming out now have excellent capabilities in low light conditions. And my thoughts have always been a little noise and get the image, or just skip it or not try; I will always go after the picture! Other modes include Aperture Priority when you require a particular aperture for the light conditions. But if your freezing action? Choose Shutter Priority. (Use this all the time to shoot aircraft with props!). And last, but not least Full Manual mode allows you complete control over exposure. Next time Scene mode, White Balance, and Auto bracketing. Till then Happy Clicking! Lance Ho folks, sorry to be late this week no excuse other than busy and picked up a new printer which I will share with next time.
Experiment with Camera Functions Image quality and resolution controls: When you out grabbing casual snaps, you may wish to choose lower quality, higher compression settings so as not to fill your memory card. Save high quality and resolution images for artful images. Image shape controls: Modern DSLR's let you preselect photo options to match your shooting style. Autofocus Modes: These modes allow you to focus according to your needs. Single focus works optimally on still subjects. Focus modes such as continuous, enable you to track a moving subject through the frame. Both your camera viewfinder and LCD monitor can show you where the camera autofocus points are. Which in turn allows you to center you focus area. In most cameras, you can concentrate in the frame, or activate multiple points together in some situations. Note, in some situations when shooting in low light, and up close to a subject it may be better to focus manually. So next time, more modes! and talk about new printer. Till then Happy Clicking Lance Hi, everyone. Hope if you're a football fan your surviving watching your teams game this week. Last week we dove into starting steps with your new DSLR. Those included going out and shoot, Reading the manual and best ways to saw your images to your cards. So this week we're going to touch on further steps going forward. Start out in manual mode, Today's DSLR's, which are high-end computers are so smart that you can just be passive and let the camera do all the work for you. But switching to the other mode options, you see on that dial open up all sorts of possibilities you expand your creative process. Where I would start would be in manual mode, if you are stepping up from shooting with a compact camera or smartphone you most likely were not adjusting your aperture or shutter speed. Now the time to learn those aspects of your camera and photography. At first, this will seem daunting, as you'll be adjusting your settings for each shot, but keep at it. And do use the autofocus built into your camera. (Note, next time we'll talk about Aperture and Shutter Priority). Get organized! You've got a load of camera cards full of some great images you've taken, but if you don't file them on your computer correctly, this could lead to a mess down the road. I strongly suggest a file folder storage set-up. Main reason being is if you switch photo editing software down the road, it will not be a labor intensive task to move to another program! I currently use Adobe Lightroom; their are so many great programs out there now, so do your homework and see what features you want your program. Note: shortly I will have a short video training on setting up a file folder system, and also thoughts about some of the great photo software out there. Learn your camera limits When you acquire your new camera, the expectations are of course very high. Things you'll want to check is ISO-settings, or how your camera handles low light conditions. You want to take pictures in different light conditions with the different setting and see how your camera handles this. Other things would include auto-focus in low light conditions. And just how fast is your high-speed burst mode if you're looking to capture the action. Protect Your Purchase When you get home from the store or open that gift. Write down your camera serial number and put it somewhere safe. Also take 5 minutes and register online so you'll now if there is a recall or service required. Till next time, Happy Clicking! Lance So someone special listened to you and got you that new camera outfit you'd been looking at. Where to start!
Number one congratulation! Even if this is a used body or lens, it's important to learn to use it as a tool to aid your photography endeviors. Now, put a camera card in your new gear and go our and shoot, after all, it's calling to you. One you get that over with its time to do a little learning, and remember, the learning is ongoing! What next, read the manual. Yes, it may seem boring, but remember if you have the necessary down pat you'll feel more comfortable out in the field. And believe it or not, you may find a tip or trick. Hint, some folks like to keep it with the other reading material in the bathroom, so you get to it. On to what way you should save your image files. I would strongly suggest Raw file format. As quite frankly it gives you the most out of your camera, and the files are uncompressed, and also captures maximum image data, which in the long run give you more flexibility when you go on to process your images. If you've not done any Raw file processing, it can be a more complicated than with JPEG"s. So if you new to this, you might want to consider shoot both in RAW and JPEG as to quickly share your JPEG images. Note, you will require more space on your memory cards and hard drives, but the payoff, to begin with, is worth it. Next post, how to start out shooting and why. Getting organized and learn your cameras limits! |
AuthorI'm a photographer who loves animal photography. Trying to capture that perfect moment is a passion of mine. Archives
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